If a patient is to receive 1000 mL of IV normal saline over 10 hours, what is the correct rate of infusion in drops per minute with a drop factor of 15?

To determine the correct rate of infusion in drops per minute, you first convert the total volume of IV fluid (1000 mL) into the rate per hour, and then to drops per minute using the specified drop factor.

1. Start by calculating the hourly infusion rate. Since the patient needs to receive 1000 mL over 10 hours, you divide 1000 by 10, which gives you 100 mL per hour.

2. Next, convert the infusion rate from mL per hour to mL per minute. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, you divide the hourly rate (100 mL) by 60, resulting in approximately 1.67 mL per minute.

3. Now, convert the mL per minute rate to drops per minute using the drop factor. The drop factor is given as 15 drops per mL. To do this, multiply the mL per minute rate (1.67 mL) by the drop factor (15 drops/mL):

1.67 mL/min × 15 drops/mL = 25.05 drops/minute.

4. When rounding to the nearest whole number, this results in 25 drops per minute, which matches